New 2007 Dallara - what have they done?

[Scott Dryden]

http://www.gp2series.com/Images/600_2007%20car%20Ricard_tcm2-10093.jpg
Source: gp2series.com

More ugly than a Bolton win?

New for '07 we have:


An engine-cover-mounted mid-wing[/*:m:1mykrn5y]
New sidepod-mounted exhaust chimneys[/*:m:1mykrn5y]
A new rear wing assembly[/*:m:1mykrn5y]

Last season they had a go at giving it a bit of a slap around the face by raising the nose. Now it has a fractured jaw.

OK, so it's not that bad. Nonetheless, in two years they've gone about turning what was the sexiest single-seater racing into something a lot less pretty. I'm at a loss to explain this one.

[ArrowsFA1]

The car's beginning to sprout F1-style aero devices which is not a good thing :down: If it ain't broke don't fix it :dozey:

[Ranger]

Maybe F1 would learn something if the more advanced aero makes the series visibly less exciting than this year.

It may be the only way to get the message to the FIA upstairs offices.

[DanFlag]

More pictures here:
http://www.flagworld.auto123.com/en/racing/news/photos,photogal.spy?artid=73415&exp=fgal

[Henry Cutts]

As the F1 feeder series they must have decided there was too much racing last year, they now have made it more like an F1 car to reduce overtaking.

[eloyf1]

The GP2 cars approach to F1 cars design more and more each year... It's a crazy rumour, but I read in some years, they could use a basic R25-26 chassis, and a V8 "capped" (Less power, if you can't understand me...) taken from a F1...

[Sleeper]

I dont know why they bothered with the extra little wings, but the chimney's are for colling (a problem the Mechacrome engine has always had) and the new rear wing is to increase set up options because last years car ran with maximum rear downforce almost every race because the rule makers removed one of the rear elements when Heiki Kovaleinen found the cars too easy to drive with the new slick tyres.

[Speedworx]

I can see them ruining GP2 soon. We all know overtaking in F1 is non existant because of all the winglets and things. Now they put them on GP2 cars.

Um......hello! Make F1 look like GP2 :)

[millencolin]

hey those cars look alright, it could be worse *cough*IRL*cough*

[Henry Cutts]

hey those cars look alright, it could be worse *cough*IRL*cough*

Yeah the GP2 still looks good, IRL cars have to be the ugliest OW cars on the planet.

[LeonBrooke]

It's silly for them to be adding all those small aerodynamic devices considering the fact that they'll be banned from F1 in not too long.

By the way, I think the IRL cars look cool. The Ferrari 248 F1 doesn't, in my opinion.

[Speedworx]

hey those cars look alright, it could be worse *cough*IRL*cough*

IRL road course car looks great, imo.

[Sleeper]

I can see them ruining GP2 soon. We all know overtaking in F1 is non existant because of all the winglets and things. Now they put them on GP2 cars.

Um......hello! Make F1 look like GP2 :)

These extra flaps will have bugger all effect on the racing. The GP2 cars develop most of their downforce through ground effects rather than upper bodywork. Its why the racing is so damn good and why F1 should do the same.

[LeonBrooke]

...and it's why the 2007 Champcar will have most of its downforce produced by the ground effect. They've tried in F1 but the constructors won't play along.

[Sleeper]

...and it's why the 2007 Champcar will have most of its downforce produced by the ground effect. They've tried in F1 but the constructors won't play along.
Did they, when?

[LeonBrooke]

Did they, when?

For 2005. Granted they reduced downforce from the underbody too, but let's not split hairs. Of course, it didn't quite have the effect of improving the racing...

If you look at the ideas for the regulations for 2007 and beyond they mention banning all winglets from the body, and reducing overall downforce by a significant amount.

[Scuderia ferrari]

It loos all right IMO, follow GP2 quite closly, and personally i don't see any problem with it, not major diffrences anyway.

[Sleeper]

For 2005. Granted they reduced downforce from the underbody too, but let's not split hairs. Of course, it didn't quite have the effect of improving the racing...

If you look at the ideas for the regulations for 2007 and beyond they mention banning all winglets from the body, and reducing overall downforce by a significant amount.

The only changes for 05 that anyone talked about, as far as I know, were along the lines of what we ended up with: bigger rear wing endplates, bigger engine cowling, raised front wing, modified defusser design.Proper ground effects, like in CC and GP2, were never really mentioned and no one in the sport has really talked about it.

[Mikeall]

The new 2007 F3000 Lola looks pretty simialr.

[LeonBrooke]

The only changes for 05 that anyone talked about, as far as I know, were along the lines of what we ended up with: bigger rear wing endplates, bigger engine cowling, raised front wing, modified defusser design.Proper ground effects, like in CC and GP2, were never really mentioned and no one in the sport has really talked about it.

The raised wing was supposed to reduce the downforce generated by it. The rear wing endplates weren't increased in size, what happened was they moved the whole rear wing forward. This reduced the downforce generated by it. Theoretically, a higher proportion of the total downforce was to be generated by the uderbldy in 2005 compared to 2004. However they managed to claw it all back so by the end of the year it was hardly different.

When they say "ground effect" in CC or GP2 all they're talking about is the diffuser and the venturi, same as F1 cars have.

[Davedigler2004]

Yeah the GP2 still looks good, IRL cars have to be the ugliest OW cars on the planet.


While I'll agree with you that the IRL has an ugly car (great racing, ugly chassis), the A1GP has them all beat. That chassis is just butt-ugly.

[LeonBrooke]

While I'll agree with you that the IRL has an ugly car (great racing, ugly chassis), the A1GP has them all beat. That chassis is just butt-ugly.

I disagree. I think the IRL cars look good. Sure, the A1GP cars look hideous, no argument there, but the ugliest open wheel cars ever have got to be the mid-70s, high-airbox F1 cars with the huge rear tyres, especially the Brabhams.

[Mark in Oshawa]

I don't see the A1 car as being that ugly. It isn't beautiful, but I think the goofy proportions make an IRL car just a strange looking machine, and dated with its low nose.....

[Mark in Oshawa]

This GP2 Car looks like it might have been nice looking once, but it looks more and more like a horse designed by committee...NOT GOOD. Still not as goofy looking as an IRL car....

[LeonBrooke]

Well, um, I think the Champcar looks ugly. The Lola, I mean. I't got all sorts of little wings stuck on top of the ones that were already there. Ugly.

[cy bais]

It would be interesting to race GP2's Dallara vs. CC's Panoz DP01. :)

[LeonBrooke]

I think the Panoz would win. But, given equivalent engines, it would be intriguing :)